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Cole Beasley’s complicated relationship with Buffalo Bills fans took another turn after the team drafted a player speculated to be his “replacement.”
The Bills moved up the draft board in the first round on April 27 to take Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, who throughout his college career often lined up in the slot. After Bills reporter Sal Capaccio tweeted that Kincaid was “basically Cole Beasley in a tight end’s body,” an irked Beasley shot back and got into a spat with some fans in the comments.
The incident was the latest chapter in the often tenuous relationship between the veteran receiver and Bills fans and comes after he made a public bid to return to the team next season.
Cole Beasley Pushes Back at Comparison
Beasley pushed back at Capaccio’s suggestion that Kincaid is similar to his play style, telling him he did not appreciate being compared to a different position.
“Please don’t compare me to any tight end. Lol,” Beasley tweeted, later telling a fan who advised him not to be upset about the comparison that “every WR gets offended if they’re compared to tight ends.”
When fans accused him of being jealous of the tight end’s new place with the team, Beasley said he didn’t mean for it to come across like he was criticizing Kincaid. He referenced a statement in March saying that he believed Aaron Rodgers was the league’s second-best quarterback behind only Patrick Mahomes, which some Bills fans took as “slander” toward Josh Allen.
“I didn’t criticize the rookie. I just said don’t compare me to a tight end,” Beasley tweeted. “Dude could be great. We just aren’t similar. The end…Also saying Josh was the #3 qb in the league isn’t a shot at him. Also has the potential to be the best easily.”
Beasley has bristled at Bills fans in the past, accusing them of booing him at home games in 2021. Some Bills fans pushed back at the time, saying they were chanting his name after catches.
Beasley later requested a trade following the 2021 season, but was released in March 2022 when the Bills could not find a trade partner. After a short stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of last season, Beasley announced his retirement but came back to rejoin the Bills in December.
Beasley made six catches for 35 yards in the regular season and moved into a bigger role in the playoffs, making five catches for 68 yards and his first-career playoff touchdown.
Dalton Kincaid Expected to Fill Cole Beasley’s Role
As Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino noted, the Bills have openly said that they see Kincaid as potentially filling the slot role that Beasley played over the course of the last four seasons in Buffalo.
“(He has) Elite hands,” Beane said. “(He’s a) Really good route runner, good feel setting up guys inside. … You guys saw it from a different position (in) Cole Beasley. … (Kincaid) in a different body type does that. I would say the number one thing about him is elite hands, good route runner, and separation ability at the top of the route.”
Others noted that Kincaid appears to be the replacement for Beasley, who remains a free agent but has discussed the idea of returning to the Bills next season.
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